This invention relates to shelving for refrigerators and the like.
As is the nature of articles containing liquid which are stored in a refrigerator or freezer, many such articles are spillable and do spill. Such a spill will typically soak into other items or contaminate other foods in the refrigerated compartment. Extensive cleanup efforts are required since the spill will commonly flow down, through the compartment, from shelf to shelf. Therefore, it is desirable to provide containment measures for limiting the area of such a spill. One such measure is a spill resistant shelf. Such a shelf will contain a spill to the shelf and minimize if not preclude the downward flow of the spill through the compartment.
One such spill resistant shelf is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,541, entitled REFRIGERATOR SHELF AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING and issued on Jun. 19, 1990 to Bussan et al. Therein, a refrigerator shelf is disclosed having a two-piece plastic "picture frame" circumscribing the periphery of a glass plate to provide a spill resistant refrigerator shelf. For liquid spill resistance, a silicon seal should be provided between the upper frame member and the glass plate, as disclosed by Bussan et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,983, entitled SHELF STRUCTURE and issued on Jan. 11, 1972 to Whitcomb, discloses the use of a glass shelf member which is framed by spaced, parallel side portions, an interconnecting rear portion and a portion extending transversely across the front of the glass. The front, side and rear framing portions are specified as being extruded material and having a glass receiving groove for receiving the glass shelf member. However, a liquid tight seal around the perimeter edge of the glass is not provided or suggested. A spill on this shelf, particularly of a liquid, will seep between the glass and the supporting frame, flowing down through the compartment.
Another problem common to the above discussed shelf structures still remains. That is, items which are spilled upon the shelves can seep between the glass plate shelf member and the surrounding frame members where it is virtually impossible to remove or otherwise clean. Thus and in spite of the sanitary benefits of using glass, an unsanitary condition can easily develop as food stuffs become trapped between the shelf members and frame members of the above-described shelf structures.
Even with the benefit of spill containment as provided by a spill resistant shelf, it can still be a tedious task to remove the spilled item from the shelf. This is especially so with spilled liquids which must be removed from the shelf, typically by sponging or mopping the spill with a rag or the like and conveying it to a bowl or pail. If one attempts to remove the shelf and pour the spill directly into a sink, the shelf will easily tip and the spill will readily pour over the edge of the shelf, defeating the principle purpose of the spill resistant shelf.
Another consideration in designing shelf structures for a refrigerated compartment is the circulation or convection of air through the compartment. It is desirable to provide for some means of circulation in order to maintain a homogeneous temperature distribution and avoid stratification. Without a provision for circulation, the air in the compartment will become stratified, having a range of temperature zones with a relatively warm zone at the top of the compartment and a relatively cold zone at the bottom of the compartment. Therefore, one will typically design the shelf structure to allow for air passage between the edges of the shelf and the walls of the compartment. However, this decreases the shelf surface area according to the amount of space provided between the shelf and the compartment walls. Further, in situations where a framing structure circumscribes the shelf, such as those discussed above, the width of the frame further reduces the available shelf area. Such reductions in shelf area directly reduce the capacity of the refrigerator to hold items. While the reduction in shelf area attributable to air passage around the shelf perimeter is dictated by thermodynamic performance, the lost area attributable to perimeter framing results from structural and design limitations imposed by accommodating the spill resistant shelf.